GAINESVILLE – Everybody was getting in on the NFL draft party in January. Even safety Major Wright, an unexpected early departure, joined a group of five Florida Gators to leave a year early for this year's draft. Ahmad Black didn't succumb to the temptation. If everything goes according to plan, Black will reap the benefits of his decision as a leader on a relatively young team. Black said there's still improvement in his game after 118 tackles and eight interceptions the last two years in a starting role.

GAINESVILLE - Former Gators TE Gerald Christian and WR Robert Clark plan to transfer to Louisville, their high school coach said. Both former Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer standouts, Christian and Clark left the team in October and finished the semester at Florida. Dwyer coach Jack Daniels said Christian was definitely headed to Louisville, while Clark was almost certainly going with him. Several Louisville media outlets have reported the transfer, and Christian tweeted on Friday, "Hitting the road with my boy @robertclark7..

Ian Lockwood, a high school football player who Urban Meyer called a “dear friend,” has died . Less than a month ago, Lockwood received the game ball from Meyer and safety Ahmad Black after the Outback Bowl. Facing terminal brain cancer, Lockwood succumbed Friday evening. He was 18. Black spoke about a player who became his friend while he prepared for the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. this week. From the Pensacola News Journal story : “I saw (Lockwood)

Of the seven players that came to Florida in 2007 from Lakeland, one of the best high school programs in the country, four have now signed with the same agent. Gators RB Chris Rainey confirmed that he's signed with Joel Segal, who also represents Mike and Maurkice Pouncey and Ahmad Black. Rainey said the recommendations from the Pounceys, who he lived with in high school, helped him make his decision. Maurkice Pouncey signed with Segal when he left Florida in 2010 after winning the Rimington Trophy.

SI.com released its 2010 All-Americans on Tuesday, with Florida punter Chas Henry making the first team. The Gators’ senior led the country with a 46.41 average this season and placed 16 punts inside the 20-yard line. Henry was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation’s top punter, the past three years and a finalist the past two before winning it on Thursday . Henry claimed the award a day after coach Urban Meyer resigned. “It’s kind of like a bittersweet thing.

GAINESVILLE – Florida guard Maurice Hurt was taken by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the NFL Draft on Saturday. The former Gator was the 217 t h overall pick and the fourth Florida player taken this year. Center Mike Pouncey was taken in the first round (15 t h overall), tackle Marcus Gilbert was taken in the second (63 r d overall) and safety Ahmad Black was selected in the fifth (151 s t overall). Hurt played three positions on Florida's line as a senior, starting at right tackle, right guard and left guard.

Matchup: Alabama QB Greg McElroy vs. Florida secondary Case for the Gators: Florida's secondary has experience with senior Ahmad Black and juniors Janoris Jenkins and Will Hill. Redshirt sophomore CB Jeremy Brown is getting the first meaningful playing time of his career but has three interceptions so far this season. The Gators defense leads the country with 12 interceptions of which the secondary has eight. If the ball's in the air, the Gators think it's theirs. Case for McElroy: The guy wins.

GAINESVILLE – Florida safety Matt Elam was cited for alcohol possession on Sunday, according to a report by The Gainesville Sun . The sophomore was spotted at 100 NW 1 s t Ave. with a plastic cup containing a dark liquid, according to the story. According to a Gainesville Police Department spokeswoman who talked to the paper, Elam threw the cup when he saw officers. Police said it contained Hennessy cognac and Coca-Cola. The GPD spokeswoman did not immediately return a phone call from the Orlando Sentinel on Sunday evening.

Of the seven players that came to Florida in 2007 from Lakeland, one of the best high school programs in the country, four have now signed with the same agent. Gators RB Chris Rainey confirmed that he's signed with Joel Segal, who also represents Mike and Maurkice Pouncey and Ahmad Black. Rainey said the recommendations from the Pounceys, who he lived with in high school, helped him make his decision. Maurkice Pouncey signed with Segal when he left Florida in 2010 after winning the Rimington Trophy.

GAINESVILLE – Ahmad Black knew it wasn't the defense's best game. It was still a Florida loss. But for the senior safety, it came back to one thing – 10 points. The Gators had given up a season low in terms of points scored, but offensively couldn't get enough to beat Mississippi State on Saturday. The loss dropped the Gators (4-3, 2-3 SEC) out of the Top 25 rankings for the first time under coach Urban Meyer. "We gave up 10 points," Black said. "Obviously, we didn't play our best.

GAINESVILLE - Junior cornerback Jeremy Brown has suddenly found himself as the seasoned veteran in Florida's secondary. After losing three starters from last season's unit - safeties Ahmad Black and Will Hill to the NFL and cornerback Janoris Jenkins to North Alabama after he was dismissed from the team -- the Gators are left with a relatively young and inexperienced corps of defensive backs that have a combined 19 college starts among them....

GAINESVILLE – Florida safety Matt Elam was cited for alcohol possession on Sunday, according to a report by The Gainesville Sun . The sophomore was spotted at 100 NW 1 s t Ave. with a plastic cup containing a dark liquid, according to the story. According to a Gainesville Police Department spokeswoman who talked to the paper, Elam threw the cup when he saw officers. Police said it contained Hennessy cognac and Coca-Cola. The GPD spokeswoman did not immediately return a phone call from the Orlando Sentinel on Sunday evening.

GAINESVILLE – Florida guard Maurice Hurt was taken by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the NFL Draft on Saturday. The former Gator was the 217 t h overall pick and the fourth Florida player taken this year. Center Mike Pouncey was taken in the first round (15 t h overall), tackle Marcus Gilbert was taken in the second (63 r d overall) and safety Ahmad Black was selected in the fifth (151 s t overall). Hurt played three positions on Florida's line as a senior, starting at right tackle, right guard and left guard.

GAINESVILLE – Ahmad Black knew it would be nerve racking, but as the third round of the NFL Draft came and went Friday his anxiety grew. The fourth round passed on Saturday with the Florida safety still waiting. It wasn't until midway through the fifth round that Black's favorite team ended the worrying. Tampa Bay chose Black with the 151 s t overall pick, keeping the 5-foot-9, 184-pound safety from Lakeland close to home. "I was a little worried, I'm not going to lie. Everybody said it was going to be nerve racking," Black said.

With a smaller draft class than last year when Florida had nine players drafted, including three in the first round, the only lock is center Mike Pouncey. The former Gators center is in New York for the NFL Draft tonight with a chance to go higher than twin brother, Maurkice. Maurkice Pouncey was taken 18th overall last year and went on to make the Pro Bowl as a rookie for the AFC Champion Steelers. After a move to center in his senior season, Mike Pouncey is a mid-first round pick by most projections.

GAINESVILLE – Walk-off home runs are special. Florida had only one this year coming into Saturday's game. That the Gators got one to even a home series with Alabama didn't make it more special. It didn't need to, Florida coach Tim Walton said. No. 8 Florida beat No. 3 Alabama 6-5 at Pressly Stadium thanks to a walk-off, three-run home run from senior Kelsey Bruder. "It was awesome. I don't know that there's anything more special doing it against Alabama," Walton said.

Coach Urban Meyer was taking aim after a sloppy Monday practice, and his biggest target was the offensive line. Meyer wasn't pleased with UF's first fall practice with shoulder pads on, which reminded him of the way Florida needs to win -- with hard-nosed blocking. QB Tim Tebow is "nothing" without five blockers up front, Meyer said. "What gets lost in the media and fans is Tim Tebow -- it's not Tim Tebow," Meyer said "It's everybody else, five guys playing like maniacs out front. . . . When Tim's on every magazine, there should be five guys right behind him standing there."

The Marcus Roberson recruiting saga ended with one of the teams believed to be his final school weeks ago – Florida. The second-ranked cornerback by Rivals.com committed to Texas Tech two weeks ago, but said there was a 50-50 chance he’d end up there. On Friday, he de-committed. On Monday, he gave a verbal to Auburn . And a day later, he backtracked on that and said he would choose between Florida and USC. If he ends up on campus, he can help the secondary.

Relief has come, finally, for Gators fans just passing time between last season and next season. With the Orange & Blue Debut on Saturday (noon, Sun Sports), everyone gets a first look at what new coach Will Muschamp and his staff have been doing behind closed gates. Just don't expect the Gators to reveal too much. Muschamp is hoping for an element of surprise in his first year, closing practice to fans and media. So what shows up on Florida Field on Saturday could be pretty vanilla.

GAINESVILLE — This spring marks the beginning of a new era in Gators football. Coaches have had to watch tape to evaluate the roster, and players are being forced to start from square one. But so far, the transition has been smooth. "We feel comfortable with where we are," coach Will Muschamp said. "I think it's all relative. But I've been pleased so far with retention on both sides of the ball and in special teams. " Here are some things to look for as the 2011 season rolls closer.